Folk rock based singer/songwriter Samuel Beam has released another musical gem. Following his low-fidelity 2002 debut, Our Endless Numbered Days is what broke Iron and Wine out of their underground indie fan base.With
drastically improved audio quality, Sam Beam is able to clearly and
successfully portray the beauty of his harmonic abilities. Think Simon and Garfunkle and the Decemberists’ acoustical child.The recording is dominated by his soft, whisper-like singing tone. Every
subtlety of his singing can be clearly heard, as it is brought into the
forefront: the pucker of his lips opening and closing, a swallow, a
deep breath, etc. Every bit of it adds together to create a handsome concoction of rolling folk. Beam’s
sister, Sara, accompanies him on some tracks, adding gorgeous harmonies
to support his brother’s incredibly powerful, yet subtle voice.The
lyrics are incredibly poetic, containing beautiful similes and
metaphors such as “Papa died while my / Girl Lady Edith was born / Both
heads fell / Like a crack in the door”.
But equally as important is what is occurring in the backdrop. Beam’s guitar lines and chord structures perfectly convey what Beam is singing about.For instance, in Sunset Soon Forgotten, the guitar line really portrays a sense of reflection.The line is uncommonly timed, and is not fully resolved until the end. “Down and down / once again” is stressed by a slide which slowly drops off.
Altogether, Iron & Wine’s Our Endless Numbered Days is an utterly calm, reflective album. It is very quiet and subtle, but almost very busy at the same time. The poetic, literary lyrics are incredibly dense, while the guitar generally artfully accompanies the gorgeous voicings.Overall, the album could not get any more elegantly articulate.
Tour dates:
November 13, 2008
Toronto, Ontario | Phoenix Concert Theatre
November 14, 2008
Buffalo, NY | Asbury Hall (inside Babeville)
November 15, 2008
Northampton, MA | Pearl Street
November 16, 2008
Providence, RI | Lupo's
November 17, 2008
New York City, NY | Terminal Five
November 18, 2008
Baltimore, MD | Ram's Head Live
November 19, 2008
Norfolk, VA | The Norva
November 20, 2008
Asheville, NC | Orange Peel
November 21, 2008
Knoxville, TN | Bijou Theater
November 22, 2008
Birmingham, AL | Work Play
November 23, 2008
Nashville, TN | Ryman Auditorium
Godfather of Drone, Dylan Carson, has composed yet another
stunningly beautiful arrangement. The title of the record describes the
album better than any other words possibly can. Carson's guitar emits
light rays which slowly seep down the side of the rhythmic backbone set
by the pulsating drumming. The guitar travels as slowly, like dripping
honey, all through the album, weaving together the piano and drums. As
a finishing textual touch, Grammy award-winning jazz guitarist Bill
Frisell paints in small details above all the other harmonic layering.
At first listen, the melodies stick like honey to the listener's skull.
They are toyed with, altered, and modified until finally repeated and
resolved towards the end of each track. Due to Earth's minimalistic
approach. any subtle difference in the repeating melody is immediately
noticed by the listener. This approach is how Earth seems to paint
those memorable landscapes they are famous for displaying in their
music. Some say it sounds like a deserted ghost town, and others say it
is the sound of relaxation. Personally, the album conveys the beauty of
a sunrise.
I suggest buying the physical album. I downloaded a
copy off iTunes originally, and was appalled by the low-complexity, 128
kbps version. I went out and bought a copy at a local FYE. The
packaging was gorgeous. It came in an outer shell, encased by a smooth,
shiny black casing. The leaflet was made out of the same, smooth
material and contained great photos of the band. I imported my CD into
iTunes at 320 kbps, and can finally listen to an untouched, gorgeous
copy.
Check out Earth on tour now, and you could catch them with
Kayo Dot, Zaïmph (Marcia Bassett of Double Leopards), or Jesse Sykes
& the Sweet Hereafter. 04/25/2008 Bottom Lounge - Chicago, IL 04/26/2008 Wexner Center for the Arts - Columbus, OH w/Sword Heaven 04/27/2008 The Dame - Lexington, KY 04/28/2008 Springwater - Nashville, TN 04/29/2008 Bottletree - Birmingham, AL w/Fur Elise, Liz Durrett 04/30/2008 The Earl - Atlanta, GA w/Fur Elise, Liz Durrett 05/01/2008 Calendonia - Athens, GA w/Fur Elise, Liz Durrett 05/02/2008 Rocket Club - Asheville, NC 05/03/2008 Downtown Events Center - Raleigh, NC 05/04/2008 Rock and Roll Hotel - Washington, DC w/Kayo Dot 05/05/2008 Johnny Brenda¹s - Philadelphia, PA w/Kayo Dot 05/06/2008 Knitting Factory - New York, NY w/Kayo Dot
I think out of all possible places to gig, restaurants have GOT to be my favorite. After a night of show playing, I've come to change my mind about the whole "Large venues are better." I mean, who could pass up a little bit of free food?? You come in, play a little bit of music, eat a complimentery dinner, take breaks, get paid a great deal of cash, and leave both your wallet and belly full. If you're feeling extra over the top, you might as well order a coffee and dessert, too! Its always fun to screw with the waiters.
Anyone else with me on this? Or am I just going crazy? I mean, where do you like to play and why??
Profiles is almost out, and i want to give a BIGGG hand for everyone on the UG staff. Great job guys! Can't wait till its released to the masses.
This whole thing is going to keep me busy for the next two days, between recording skills, adding info, and keeping up with everything on UG. This will DEFINATELY increase that community feel that UG is famous for. Just wait. In 5 years, UG profiles will be the new facebook.
Although, the one thing i have still yet to see is a tab recommendation. Where you can recommend tabs to friends. I'd love to have an inbox full of requests just waiting to learn and pick at.
| My Profile
Incubus_SCIENCE's blogs, last updated : October 14, 2008
